BEIJING: Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will pay an official visit to China from January 25 to 28 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, a foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Thursday.
During the visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with the Finnish prime minister, while Chinese Premier Li and Chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee Zhao Leji will hold talks and meet with Orpo, respectively, to conduct in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern, spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing.
Noting that Finland was among the first Western countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, Guo said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state in recent years, the future-oriented new-type cooperative partnership between the two countries has been deepened, and cooperation in various fields has been steadily advanced.
China attaches great importance to the development of China-Finland relations, and stands ready to work with Finland to maintain close high-level exchanges, consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen economic and trade cooperation, promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, foster mutual understanding and collaboration in multilateral affairs, and jointly elevate bilateral relations to a new height, Guo said.
According to an official release from the Finnish government on the same day, the purpose of Orpo’s visit is to “continue dialogue with the Chinese leadership and to promote business opportunities for Finland in China.”
The release also mentioned that Finland and China have “long-standing, stable relations.”
Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times that China-Finland ties act as an important stabilizing element in the overall China-EU relationship. This visit seeks both to preserve that stability and to drive further advancement.
“This year marks the opening year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan. The economic development goals outlined in China’s plan offer numerous opportunities for European countries like Finland,” Cui added. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
